Lil’ Kim and Mary J. Blige are sister-friends and have been for more than two decades.
The two hip-hop titans have collaborated on a few songs, from the iconic “I Can Love You” off Blige’s 1997 release Share My World to “Hold On” on the Queen Bee’s album Notorious K.I.M. They’ve also made cameos in each other’s music videos (“Not Matter What People Say,” “Lighters Up”). QB and Blige could have another knockout collaboration on the way soon.
Following Genius’ Lyricist of the Year 2020 Bracket Challenge panel discussion, Rob Markman, the VP of content strategy at Genius, asked Lil’ Kim about watching Blige as Monet in the Power Book II: Ghost. After boasting about Blige’s gangster role in the Starz series, which sponsored the panel discussion, she hinted at a new collaboration.
“Oh, we got a surprise for y’all,” Kim expressed to Markman in excitement. “I don’t want to give it away, but we have something coming with somebody we’ve been mentioning. I’m not going to say, though.”
The possibilities are endless for the mystery collaborator. Judging from the list of MC’s named in the Lyricist of the Year conversation, the third artist could be anyone from Wale, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Electronica, Megan Thee Stallion, and Rapsody, to name a few.
It also not clear whether the collaboration between the three artists is related to music or a fashion brand.
Blige is expected to release her 14th studio album and follow-up to Strength of Woman sometime soon. “It’s about life, love, struggle, but mostly triumph,” Blige revealed to Greg Braxton of The L.A. Times in August. “Because I’m learning how to rejoice in the valleys and the droughts.”
As far as studio associates for this next album, Blige has been in the lab with DJ Camper, Blush Writes, Murda Beatz, and most recently, H.E.R.
Last month, Blige released an expanded edition of her groundbreaking 1994 album My Life. It features exclusive commentary from the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul herself.
